Posts tagged Newton

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Apple Newton Tablet prototype in custom/branded Newton leather case

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Apple Newton Tablet prototype stylus

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Image by jimabeles
This came from someone who managed the mobile computing development group at Coke (as in Coca Cola) who reported that they did a lot of work with Apple. He said it was not built specifically for Coke and there were never any firm plans with it.

"Apple was more or less searching for a reason to build the tablet and never did find a market. I have no idea how many exist. I only know of one other and it is in a computer museum in California."

Based on the partial sticker on this as well as the sticker on the prototype stylus, it appears to be serial number 36.

Unfortunately, it came without a power supply and I’ve never been able to power it up (it’s a weird port size and shape – unlike other Newtons).

The following comes from Studio Taktika (http://www.taktika.com/StudioTaktika/portfolio/newton_web/newton_3.htm ):

Ok. The team started from scratch again and designed a new device still following the old ideas. It was codenamed "Bic". Meanwhile the market developed a new and better touchsensitive screen which weren’t that precise and bright but much, much cheaper. They also thought that a second PCMCIA slot would be a good idea, because one was supposed to be used by a modem…. and where should the RAM card go?

Viobot’s Brains

Image by GregRob
So here are the Viobot’s brains, a Raspberry PI GNU/Linux computer. Running from battery with a wireless (configuration pending) connection.

This item is part of a collection obtained from Russ Uzes, October 2004.

Newton Inside

Image by splorp
This is an x-ray showing the interior of a Newton MessagePad 2000. The image was originally posted by Jonathan Sanderson on Pondlife, the North of England Newton Users Group website. The site is now offline, but bits of the content can still be perused via the Internet Archive .

I am reposting the image here for future reference and subsequent annotation. Most Newton owners have never seen the inside of their handheld, let alone in this form. I am also attempting to track down the high resolution false colour versions of this image.

Image by splorp
Back in July, Dan Benjamin and John Gruber mentioned the Newton (and alluded to yours truly) at the tail end of the third episode of their podcast, The Talk Show. You can listen the audio snippet here.

One of the stipulations of getting on the show was to provide Dan with a technological point of reference, that being an actual, functioning Newton device which he could compare and contrast with an iPhone. The easy part was agreeing to the transaction. The tough part was the interpretation of that darn word “functioning”.

After several weeks of diddling with software, reconditioning battery packs, installing drivers and finally getting a creaky 3Com EtherLink card to talk to my Mac … it’s done. Dan’s Newton MessagePad 2100 is packaged and ready for shipment, along with all of the necessary digital assistant accoutrements.

Image by splorp
This is a pre-release model of Apple’s OMP (Original MessagePad) including the extremely rare ‘Batmobile’ screen cover. The front of the case is marked ‘Newton’ in the location where the shipping models of the OMP and the MP100 (MessagePad 100) were marked ‘MessagePad’. This particular unit is currently nonfunctional. In fact, I’m not convinced that it ever worked, as it is labeled “Technical Sample Only” on the back.

This Newton is marked with the number ‘46’ in three places … in the top right corner on the back of the case (view here), inside the battery compartment, as well as on the back of the battery compartment lid (view here). The ‘Batmobile’ screen cover is marked with the number ‘39’.

According to the previous owner, this unit was used in a 1993 television game show called ‘Quest’. A contestant was given a video camera and a prototype Newton, competing in a high-tech scavenger hunt around San Francisco. The Newton was used to feed the contestant clues. ‘Quest’ is mentioned in the book Defying Gravity by Markos Kounalakis and Doug Menuez.

This item is part of a collection obtained from John Venzon, August 2002.

Visit tiger.tv for complete specs, pricing, and availability on the Newton Peripherals MoGo Wireless Bluetooth Mouse. When you use your notebook often, you know how easy it is for your ‘regular mouse’ to get lost, fall or be forgotten while you succumb to the dreaded touchpad. Well, to the rescue is Mogo Mouse. MoGo MouseBT is the first in a family of mobile products. This technologically advanced wonder, featuring patent-pending optics, an intelligent battery management system with an integrated, minute battery that recharges in just minutes inside your laptop. MoGo MouseBT is a business-card sized, Bluetooth-enabled mouse that stores and recharges neatly inside…that’s right, inside…your laptop computer’s PC card slot when it’s not being used. MoGo MouseBT is a technologically advanced wonder, featuring patent-pending optics and a system that automatically levers the mouse up into your hand as you work. With no batteries to replace, the MoGo MouseBT recharges in less than an hour in the PC card slot of your laptop. MoGo MouseBT is specifically designed for road warriors who hate carrying around full-sized, bulky mice, but who also despise laptop trackpads and trackpoints. MoGoMouseBT provides them with a solution to their problem, making it easier for them to work on the road. Other mice, even those meant for road warriors, just don’t cut it. Mini-mice (the “walnut shells”) get lost in your hand and are difficult to maneuver, and the ideas of carrying a full-sized …Video Rating: 4 / 5